For years, the space was quiet, waiting, it seemed, for the right kind of dreamers to come along.
On Feb. 3, two big personalities you might recognize – David Karademas and Abbey Kemph – met inside The Mayan, a historic building in downtown Aurora. And within a week, the visionary Milwaukee developer and the determined restaurateur, along with her partner Jeff Allen, vice president of National Sales for U.S. Foods, put together a deal that could breathe life into its first-floor space which is too beautiful to sit empty and too full of possibilities to be forgotten.
After that first sit-down, Karademas, who turned the upper two levels of The Mayan into apartments a decade ago, knew he had met the restaurateurs he’d been “patiently waiting” for to fill its first floor.
Likewise, Kemph had been waiting for a replacement site for her Leilani Asian Fusion, which had opened in the historic Hobbs Building in downtown Aurora in 2024, only to close the following year after what her then-partners Jay Punukolly and Jay Ananthapadmanabhan publicly described as “disagreements” within the group.
This deal with Karademas quickly came together following that initial meeting, says Kemph, who is optimistically shooting for a grand opening for the new Leilani in September or October.
Kemph admitted she had previously refused to consider The Mayan as a new location. Her goal had always been to put the restaurant in the same building her partner Jason Morales – and father to their daughter Leilani – was in the process of opening in downtown Aurora when he died with COVID-19 in 2022.
But a chance encounter earlier this year at Society 57 in downtown Aurora with commercial Realtor and attorney Judd Lofchie convinced her to take a walk that same day to the building on the corner of Stolp Avenue and Benton Street to check out the 10,000 square feet of vacant space.
“It was mind-blowing, how beautiful it was,” Kemph recalled of The Mayan’s first floor. “I stood there at the entrance and said, “‘This has been waiting for me the entire time.’”
Karademas, who made plenty of headlines in the past decade after purchasing three historic properties on Stolp Avenue in downtown Aurora, felt the same way. He has continued to improve the 22-story Leland Tower, and is especially proud of the upgrades in the 29 apartments in the historic old Elks Building he renamed The Mayan for its distinctive architectural style.
“I only needed a few minutes with Abbey and Jeff to conclude that I had finally found my restaurateurs,” Karademas told me. “As you’ve heard me say countless times, we need restaurants worthy of the Paramount. And I am confident these are the right people to show what is possible.”
And so, he and Kemph, who aren’t shy about declaring their fandom for the city of Aurora – or their frustrations over its governmental process – are “jumping in with both feet,” said the Milwaukee-based developer.
Karademas is interested in making an even bigger splash with two additional ideas he believes would “elevate” the southern end of Stolp Island: To develop the old Post Office (the former SciTech Hands On Museum) with apartments on the upper floor and health-related businesses on the first floor – think acupuncture, chiropractor, yoga and mini-retail related to wellness, he suggests.
Karademas said he’d also donate the first $100,000 to create a small botanical park and garden between The Mayan and the old Post Office that would give Kemph’s new restaurant an outdoor patio.
In an email response, the city noted the partnership between Karademas and Kemph involved no incentives, nor was the city aware of the terms of their agreement but would, as with any developer, “work to help them through the permitting process should formal plans be submitted.”
The city email also reiterated its desire – made public recently in a Beacon-News story – to “explore opportunities for a multicultural arts center” at the old Post Office.
Which is fine with Karademas. “If the city is ready, able and willing to breathe life into it, I’d rather they take on the financial obligation,” he told me. “I simply don’t want to continue seeing such an architectural gem sit vacant.”
It’s this same attitude that has Kemph so optimistic about The Mayan project, which she said would feature a sports bar to the right of the grand entrance, with curtains or doors leading into the upscale Leilani that would utilize the same staff as the original.
Lofchie sees this as a “second chance” for Kemph, who he insisted “brought something to downtown Aurora that we never had: an innovative Asian fusion restaurant with amazing food in a real cool space.”
“David romanticizes” Aurora, said Kemph about Karademas. “It’s not about the money. It’s honoring history and culture, about establishing roots and creating something meaningful.
“I always loved Aurora and I’m more in love now that David is talking about his plans.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
